If you're one of those people who gets frustrated when something, anything, changes about the way you use your computer I have two words of advice for you:

Embrace change.

Change is going to happen whether you like it or not. Why not choose to like it? Rather than letting it frustrate you, accept it as the inevitable progression of technology. You'll have a much better experience.

The people that use technology most effectively, the people that seem the most comfortable with it, the people that seem to do more and even end up acting as a resource for others, are often those that do more than just see change as inevitable; they look forward to it. They look to see what new improvements can do for them to make their ongoing efforts more efficient, more functional, and even - dare I say it - more fun. These are people that enjoy learning and are curious about the next new thing to come around the corner. Change is no obstacle for them, it's an opportunity.

Unfortunately, there are many, many other people who, once having learned how to accomplish something on their computer, stick to that one way as long as they possibly can. They may never investigate and even actively avoid new ways of doing things that could make there experience more effective. If something changes about the technology that they've steadfastly held on to, they're stuck; both incapable of moving forward and frustrated at the change.

Technology is nothing more than a tool to be exploited. Sometimes better tools come along. The first group gets this.

The second group, ironically, have turned themselves into slaves to the technology that they refuse to leave behind.

There are some strong arguments that the "if it ain't broke, why fix it?" crowd will use. For example if everything is going to become obsolete eventually anyway, why bother learning every new thing that comes along? Isn't that a waste of time that could be spent actually using the tools you already know and getting something done?

That can be true; too much change, particularly change that requires truly significant investments of time and energy, shouldn't be taken lightly. However the majority of change, particularly in the world of personal computers, is in incremental, smaller steps. It's a new tool here, a new menu item there, or perhaps a new way of doing something. Folks that are resistant to change get annoyed with even the smallest alteration of the status quo, and as a result often end up bypassing even the little things that could easily make what they do more effective and less time consuming overall.

It's very true that at times change can be wasteful, and that not all change is good. Ultimately, though, in the balance and even with occasional setbacks changing technology is a net win. Things get better over time, not worse. What you can do with your computer today is much, much more than you could 5 or 10 years ago. And even if you're doing essentially the same things as then as now, it's likely that you're doing so more efficiently, and with less effort. That's change for the good.

You're not going to easily find parts or support for your 50 year old car, or your 10 year old computer as readily as current automobiles and PCs. The same is true for your computer's operating system, tools and the applications you use as well. Change is inevitable.

Choose to embrace change, and you'll enjoy yourself a lot more and likely pick up new ways to do things that in the long run will have you wondering how you possibly did without, before.